Former President Bill Clinton, 80, made his first midterm appearance in Pembroke Park in South Florida, campaigning for Democratic gubernatorial candidate David Jolly.
Clinton sharply criticized President Donald Trump's domestic and foreign policies, faulting him for abandoning Ukraine, embracing Russian President Vladimir Putin, and mistreating U.S. allies. Clinton also targeted White House renovations and Trump's immigration stance, arguing that Republicans would lose votes in Florida by targeting Cubans.
Clinton. speaking on Oct. 20, framed the Florida governor’s race against Republican Congressman Byron Donalds as newly competitive. Pointing out that Donalds recently scrubbed key references to Trump from his website, Clinton praised Jolly’s
selection of former Representative Gwen Graham as his running mate and highlighted Jolly's focus on lowering property insurance costs and expanding Medicaid.
Addressing economic concerns, Clinton noted that the central issue was ensuring current residents could afford to stay in Florida, invoking the phrase, “It’s not about woke, it’s about broke.”
The visit highlighted growing national investment in the contest.
Clinton earlier in the day headlined a private fundraiser that raised $3 million for Jolly, while the Democratic Governors Association committed $1 million to the campaign. Despite Donalds maintaining a $120 million fundraising lead, Democratic organizers and Jolly argued that Clinton's visit signals shifting momentum and demonstrates that Florida remains in play ahead of the Nov. 3 vote.
John Pacenti is the Government Impact Reporter for The USA TODAY NETWORK-FLORIDA. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY, athttps://palmbeachpost.com/newsletters.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Clinton's message to Florida: 'It's not about woke, it's about broke'
